Over a hundred thousand Russians thronged the streets of Moscow demanding an end to the authoritarian rule of Vladmir Putin even as the petty Russian ruler insisted it opposition to his regime was all the work of the US State Department. One participant had a button saying she paid taxes to the Russian government and was not being paid by the USA. Alexei Navalny, noted blogger told the media, “I see enough people here to take the Kremlin or the White House right now. But, we area peaceful force.”
Former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev who voluntarily stepped down from power urged Putin to stand down in order to go down in Russian history as a great man. Alexei Frolov, a man in the crowd echoed that sentiment. “Putin should stand down, he looks out of touch with reality.”
Alas, this is the winter of Putin’s discontent. Step down now and enjoy a spring of popularity.
